Published 11:24 am, Thursday, December 10, 2015

PORTLAND, Maine >> A group of New England fishermen is suing the federal government over a shift in the cost of at-sea fishing monitors.

Officials with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration say money for monitors in New England fisheries such as cod and haddock will be gone by early 2016. The monitors are trained workers who collect data to help determine future quotas on certain species of commercial fish.

A group including more than 20 groundfishermen is suing the federal Department of Commerce, which includes NOAA. The group contends the cost shift is illegal and it’s seeking an injunction to protect it from having to pay for the monitors. It is filing the lawsuit in federal court in New Hampshire.

A spokeswoman for NOAA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.